Astronaut Wally Schirra Dies at 84

Schirra the third American to orbit the earth, the fifth in space

By J. Kelman, Newser User

Posted May 3, 2007 2:14 PM CDT

(Newser) – Astronaut Wally Schirra, a reporter once said, geared up for space flight with "the ease of preparing for a family picnic." The third American to orbit the earth and the fifth ever to fly into space, Shirra died today. He was 84.

"I'm having a ball up here drifting," Schirra, a fun-loving practical jokester, radioed down from his first flight, on Sigma 7 Mercury, in 1962. He later commanded the path breaking Gemini 6 mission—the first meeting of two spacecraft in orbit—and participated in Apollo Seven. That final Apollo mission helped lay the groundwork for NASA's trip to the moon—though Schirra never made it there himself.

[Images (4)]

[Videos (1)]

This file photo shows Astronaut Walter M. "Wally" Schirra Jr. in his Mercury pressure suit with model of Mercury capsule behind him, in an October 1962 file photo. NASA said Thursday, May 3, 2007, that... (Associated Press)

The remaining four of the original "Mercury Seven," from left, Gordon Cooper, Walter Schirra, Scott Carpenter, and John Glenn, pose while the colors are presented during a memorial service for the first... (Associated Press)

The astronauts of the Apollo 7 crew are shown at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., in this Oct. 11, 1968 file photo. From left to right are R. Walter Cunningham, Commander Walter Schirra,... (Associated Press)

Astronaut Walter M. Schirra's space capsule is guided to the deck of the USS carrier Kearsarge after it was rescued from the Pacific ocean northeast of Midway Island at the end of his six-orbit flight... (Associated Press)

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Astronaut Wally Schirra Dies at 84